Authors Note: I do apologize for the wait, college has started kicking my ass the last few weeks. So despite having had the entire chapter planned out, I wasn't getting enough time to actually write. But to make up for that, you have an especially long chapter this time and the next chapter is already done and with Evertide for proofreading.
On a better note, I do have another HomuSaya Au fic that I've begun writing. So, once this fic is done with, I'll be able to start working on that and the KyouHomu story. Hopefully I will have my class troubles sorted out by then too.
Sayaka's first thought when she opened her eyes was that she was in a labyrinth, but as far as barriers went, this one felt the most normal. The most peaceful. Labyrinths were anything and everything...except bland and boring. There was not a single strand of malice that Sayaka could feel, and as far as she saw, it appeared she was the only living being within it, not counting the foliage of course, if an expanse of grass counted as foliage.
Taking one last glance around her, Sayaka began walking along the smooth and light brown path.
The farther she walked, the more the scenery around her changed, adding more color to the world. From the grass on either side of the path, flowers began to spring up. Roses, in fact. First, there were just a few and widely spaced out, but before long the roses were all Sayaka could see for miles. Just the different colors blended together on each side of the path.
Looking to one side, there were blue and purple roses standing tall and close together side by side. Familiar black hair and violet eyes sprung to Sayaka's mind and she gave herself a private smile. It almost looked like the blue roses were protecting the smaller purple ones.
She didn't even notice the yellow and pink roses on the other side, coiled around each other in a delighted embrace, yet she was somehow aware they were there, no more unexpected or interesting than clouds in the sky.
Really, Sayaka didn't know where she was going. The young girl was just going where her feet took her, and it felt as though something was almost tugging her forward, coaxing her to continue down the path. A soft voice, far too sweet and gentle to be a witch, but too distorted to be human, echoed in her mind, whispering that her reward for all she's done lay at the end of the road.
But the road went on for miles, there didn't seem to be an end to it.
At least the ground was not hard beneath her bare feet. It was firm but soft, like a short carpet, and a comforting coolness to the soft flesh.
Keep moving forward. That's right, you're getting closer.
There was no reason to argue, at least, she didn't see one, nor did she feel the need to question any of this. Instead, Sayaka continued to walk in silence on this brown path laid between rows of roses. Was it just her, or was that the soft melody of a violin she could hear up ahead?
Looking back to the left, back to the blue and purple roses, Sayaka could only blink in confusion and slow her walking.
The roses that had been lining her path with such beautiful colors were gone. Her path was still walled by roses, but neither of purple and blue, nor yellow and pink. No, they were dark as can be, with thorns that seemed to bleed. An ominous feeling took the air as the bright light began to dim until Sayaka could no longer see very well.
Sayaka needed to go, this place wasn't safe.
The music had suddenly gone from its soft delicate whisper to a terrifying roar and she could recognize the symphony for Ave Maria filling the air. It was deafening, and it only grew louder with each note that was played on that hellish violin.
A wet sensation began running down the side of her head...was her ear bleeding?
She tried to bring an arm up to touch, to see if it was indeed blood, but she could barely move. Something had wrapped itself around her, some unseen thread, preventing her from moving despite her struggling to break free.
The violin was so loud, Sayaka couldn't even hear herself think anymore. Note after note crashed into her so hard her entire body vibrated with it. The wet ground was freezing now, and it'd become hard to wiggle her bare and frostbitten toes...so cold they were cracking...when had the ground started getting wet? As though it had always been wet yet never at the same time.
Above her the moon was grinning wickedly, blood covering sharp teeth planted on a hideous face.
A small glint of light from that red and laughing orb above shined down on her, a spotlight and Sayaka was taking center stage. She could see what had coiled around her: fishing line.
The music had reached a crescendo; no longer was it playing Ave Maria but some mash of notes of its own creation. The world shook with every verse and the climax was about to be reached and then everything would be over, the song would end and drift into a deathly silence.
Suddenly Sayaka was drowning, the music made dull by the murky waters surrounding her as the girl sank deeper and deeper below. Currents crashed around her, grasping and grabbing, pulling her farther into the aquatic world.
Her lungs were burning for air, her legs, freed, kicking desperately to reach the surface, to take in a breath of life.
A scream rang through the water, not Sayaka's.
She opened her eyes, no longer in water, but instead on a familiar couch in a familiar home not her own. Her heart was racing, her fingers twitching as the adrenaline coursed through her body. Someone had screamed, waking her up from that dream...someone screamed...Homura!
Quickly, Sayaka threw the blanket off of her, tumbling off the couch as she scrambled to the kitchen. Seconds later she burst into the room, transformed into her magical uniform and a cutlass sprang to her hand.
"Homura! What's wrong, what happened?" Sayaka demanded, scanning the room for any threat, but all she saw was Kyubey sitting on the table, and Ganko in front of Homura hissing at him. But there didn't appear to be any danger in here. What had happened?
The girl in question had her back to the wall, head buried in her hands as she trembled, and lifted her head to stare at Sayaka with wide, terrified eyes.
"It...it wasn't a dream...it...Sayaka, last night...last night was real, w-wasn't it?" The poor girl, she had thought that all that had occurred the previous night was nothing more than a terrible dream. But awaking and meeting Kyubey again had only brought life back to what she had thought was a nightmare. "Those...those monsters are out there, hurting people...I...I c-could have died."
Without saying anything, Sayaka stepped towards her, wrapping her arms around Homura in a comforting hug, "I'm sorry, I really do wish it'd just been a dream for you, I really do." Had she reacted like Homura had when learning of what she had to do now? Maybe. She just wasn't allowed to stay scared. "But you're not going to die. I'm not going to let you get hurt by those things ever again, do you hear me? Do you understand?" Her tone had turned deathly serious. But she was honest, Sayaka would sooner die than let any familiar or witch harm Homura.
After a minute or two, Homura had recovered from her slap by reality, and Sayaka, who had changed back out of the magical girl outfit, had led her to sit at the table before fetching some cereal for the both of them. She knew where everything was in this kitchen by this point, and was able to keep an eye on Homura while rummaging through the cabinets and fridge.
"Do you always fight those...things?" Homura asked softly after Sayaka returned with a bowl for each of them, sitting across from her at the table. "Are there other...are there other magical girls in the city too?"
Before Sayaka could respond, Kyubey stepped forward and began speaking, making Homura flinch, "Miki Sayaka is in fact the only current magical girl in this city. The two previous ones were killed fighting Walpurgisnacht prior to my contract with her."
Wait, what? Two others, but they died? Sayaka hadn't been told that yet, and sure, she assumed whoever had been here previously was gone but not dead. But, hearing him saying it, her mind went to Madoka and Mami. What if they had been magical girls as well? It certainly would explain why they had been outside that night, and even more why Madoka had started keeping secrets and always running off- no.
No, don't think about it. There is no way that was what happened, there was no way Madoka would be fighting these monsters.
Shoveling spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth, and lost in thought, Sayaka didn't catch what Homura had said after that, but she had certainly heard what Kyubey suggested.
"Then why not make a contract and become a magical girl also?" the creature offered, his face the picture of innocence.
The chair toppled to the ground only moments after as Sayaka shot up to stand, earning a startled and a blank gaze upon her.
"Absolutely not!" Sayaka shouted, a glare focused onto Kyubey, hands curling into fists. The thought of Homura contracting and going into the kind of danger Sayaka faced so often now, she wouldn't allow it. She would never allow it. "Don't you even think of bringing Homura into this too! I'm not letting her fight these witches, I'm not letting her go into that danger!"
Kyubey didn't appear fazed at all by the order, and tilted his head to the side. "Why not? It would make the hunts more efficient and you would be more successful having a partner."
"It's too dangerous for her!"
"But together, your odds of survival would be better than just you or her separately."
"Doesn't excuse putting her at risk!"
The two just stared at each other, neither seeming to acknowledge the subject of their debate watching them nervously.
"Um..." Homura began, clearing her throat to gain their attention as she stood up and collected her bowl, barely touched, "I think, I don't think I'll make a contract. Not right now, um, Sayaka clearly won't be happy, and I don't think I would be of help," she said, dipping her head apologetically to Kyubey. She didn't want to upset Sayaka by becoming a magical girl too. Besides, Homura didn't even know if shewanted to become one.
This was still a lot to take in after all.
For her part, Sayaka was grateful to hear Homura say that. Instinct had her nearly arguing that Homura wouldn't be useless in a fight, but if thinking that would keep her from joining in, then it was something Sayaka would have to let slide.
Dumping her own bowl into the sink, she turned to take Homura's from her and did the same to it. "Come on, Homura, we got to get ready or we'll be late!" she said, tugging her out of the kitchen and away from Kyubey. It was best to change the subject, away from contracts and witches and to something more normal. "Don't want to be late on your first day after all!"
"Wait, Sayaka, won't you need to go home to get your things?" Homura asked as she was pulled along after her, Ganko following.
Sayaka didn't slow in her step as she made it to Homura's room. "Nah, I have a spare notebook in my locker I can use for notes. Just hope I don't get called on to read."
"What about your clothes?"
"Ehehehe, you wouldn't have a spare uniform I could borrow, do you?"
Not too long after, Sayaka and Homura came to the school building, Sayaka wearing a uniform a size too small for her, borrowed of course from Homura. Said girl was staring up at the building in awe...had it always been so big?
"Yo, Earth to Homura, anyone there?" Sayaka asked, waving a hand in front of Homura's face to get her attention, causing the girl to blink a few times in surprise. "Ah, finally got your attention, have I?"
Letting out a startled "eep", Homura ducked her head in embarrassment. "Sorry," she mumbled.
But Sayaka just laughed and gave her a light smack on the back to get her walking. Saying how it was all good, no problem that Homura was spacing out, just so long as she didn't walk into a wall or door. "You need to stay sharp, Homura, first day back, got to be ready for all the attention you're gonna get. I mean, man, your popularity has really skyrocketed while you were gone, you've left your poor wife in the dust!"
Wife? When did Sayaka start calling Homura her wife? Had Homura just not noticed this title being used before? No, she would have noticed.
If Sayaka had felt out of place about suddenly calling her that, she didn't show it.
However, when the two stepped into the crowded halls, Homura could feel dozens upon dozens of eyes upon them, making her inch closer to Sayaka as though to hide behind her from the gazes. She didn't want all these people looking at her, and could hear them whispering.
But, when a student is taken to the hospital and on the brink of death, it does garner these reactions when said student returns with a clean bill of health. She couldn't blame them because of that.
Just, as they walked, all Homura could hope for was that things went back to normal and people forgot that she was even there.
That hope was quickly extinguished when they got to homeroom. Homura had barely sat down before she had classmates surrounding her desk and asking questions. It was as though it was her first day at school all over again. Now she recognized the faces but still didn't know the names of them, and they were all around her, wanting to know things she didn't know how to explain or didn't want to talk about.
Why were people always so curious?
"Hey now, hey now, back up and give her some space, alright?" Sayaka asked, or rather demanded as she shoved past a few students so she could be at Homura's side again. "You're crowding her, just back off, it's her first day back, you have the rest of the year to pester her."
Begrudgingly, the students backed off until it was just Sayaka beside her.
"Thanks," Homura mumbled in relief. It certainly was well and dandy to have them away from her again. But it did make her feel happy that so many had been worried, even if most of it was from curiosity.
"Don't sweat it," Sayaka returned, taking a seat at the desk next to hers to keep watching over her.
It wasn't long after that when the teacher came in. Looking upset and annoyed, it was clear she had to deal with another breakup, and the students knew what that meant. She almost garnered some sympathy from Sayaka who reluctantly left Homura's side to take her own seat.
"Class!" Saotome announced, gaining the attention of all in the room.
When they all had their eyes on her, the teacher dove right into her rant about how whether a roll of toilet paper is put with the end being over or under should not matter at all in a relationship, confirming of course that her relationship had hit a rocky path recently. She, as usual, sent focus onto Nakazawa with the final question of if it should matter or not, with him giving his usual "either way" answer, and a few students snickered in response to this before a glare silenced them.
"Now then," the teacher said, calmed down now, and gave the class a warm smile, "I would like to announce that, if you haven't already noticed, Akemi Homura has returned to us." All eyes fell on the girl who shrunk back into her seat in fear, and a few claps from Saotome brought attention to the front again. "Now, I want you guys not to overwhelm her, she's been in the hospital and I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about everything that has happened."
There were a few murmurs from students agreeing to her request, and Sayaka could only nod. While Saotome Kazuko could be an oddball at times with her romance rants, and sometimes worked her griping into her lessons, she was a good teacher.
The rest of the day before lunch had been normal enough, classes weren't any more difficult than before, though Sayaka could see Homura struggling to keep up. Understandable with how long she'd been out of classes. It made Sayaka's heart hurt when she glanced back to check up on her only to see the panicked and fearful look whenever Homura found herself unable to understand anything that was being said.
She would have to work hard with Homura after school to help her catch up. Then again, Sayaka was barely able to keep up with what was going on herself. A month-plus behind in school...the reasons were good, but this was going to be an uphill battle to get back up to speed.
The lectures droned on slowly, and Sayaka tried her best to focus, but she would often find herself turning her head to stare at Homura a few seats ahead of her. A small smile would form whenever her eyes landed on her friend, but would fall as a small voice in the back of her mind forced Sayaka to tear her eyes away from Homura so she could watch the teacher, before going back to staring at her friend a few minutes later.
She'd never been as happy to have Homura sit in the rows in front of her; Homura was already having trouble with everyone else staring at her, she didn't need to know about another pair of eyes fixed on her, though if only they could be seated closer.
At last, after a few classes had come and gone at an agonizingly slow pace, it was time for lunch. Sayaka had to drag Homura away from her desk and out of the classroom before she could get swarmed by students and escorted her to the roof as though she were a bodyguard. Though in the bluenette's mind, that was exactly what she was to Homura.
Waiting for them on the roof were Hitomi and Kyosuke, both with their lunches out, though untouched until the two girls arrived, their intertwined hands quickly separating upon spotting them. A thankfully dulled pain tore through Sayaka's chest but she chose to ignore it. They gave pleased, if not relieved, smiles at seeing them and Hitomi was the first to stand, closing the distance to take hold of Homura's hands.
"Homura-san! I'm so glad to see you're okay," Hitomi said. She made a move as though she were about to hug the smaller girl before rethinking it and taking a few steps back. "I- we were so worried about you."
"You had us pretty scared," Kyosuke chimed in, his voice softer as the girls took their seats. "You were in pretty bad shape, the doctors were saying you wouldn't..." He paused to straighten his words. He'd been the person people were scared for, never the one who was scared for the life of another. Finding what to say was hard. "Excuse me. It's just great to have you back, safe and sound."
Wrapping an arm around Homura, Sayaka smiled widely at the others. "Oh, cut it out you two! You make it sound like Homura was gonna die!" she said, waving them off and grinning down at the dark-haired girl. "But our dear Homura here is stronger than that! No pesky heart problem is going to kill her off, ain't that right?"
Homura just gave a smile, ducking her head to hide her embarrassment instead of answering Sayaka.
When she'd come back from the hospital the first time all those months ago, she hadn't been greeted like this. She'd been swarmed by students she didn't know, questioned on things she didn't want to talk about. She didn't have friends who were genuinely concerned and happy to have her back. She'd just been alone and lost, but there had been a silver lining at the end of that day in the form of one Miki Sayaka.
It was hard for Homura to imagine where she would have been if she hadn't met and become friends with Sayaka, but she had a sinking feeling that her life wouldn't have been very pleasant.
The rest of the lunch period was spent with the four talking and joking, sometimes snagging a piece of food from someone else's lunch. The girls had set up a time to get together so Hitomi could help them with some much-needed studying, and Kyosuke and Homura shared a few hospital jokes and talked about their own recoveries. Homura found out that in another month or so, Kyosuke would be able to walk without his crutches, and with Hitomi he was getting better at letting go over the loss of being able to use his hand and play the violin, which Homura was glad to hear about.
Surprisingly, Hitomi was still receiving love letters despite dating Kyosuke, a fact that earned the couple a few teasing remarks from Sayaka about how Kyosuke better step up his game or Hitomi will be taken out from under his nose. That earned the playful retort from Hitomi of how if Sayaka didn't step up her game, she was going to lose Homura to the boys when they finally grow the spine to confess to her.
"Nonsense! My wife would never leave me for some boy!" Sayaka proclaimed, wrapping an arm around Homura and pulling her close.
"Ooh?" Hitomi asked, an amused smile on her face as she took in Sayaka's confident demeanor and the burning red cheeks of Homura. "She's your wife now? Why wasn't I invited to your wedding? I'm insulted, Sayaka, simply insulted."
Childishly, Sayaka stuck her tongue out at Hitomi. "It was rushed, we didn't have time to send out invitations," she explained with a wide grin. "Sorry, Kyosuke, but I got the cutest wife. If you and Hitomi ever tie the knot, you can have title to being married to the second cutest."
All the while, Homura's cheeks just got hotter and hotter. It had been a long time since she was allowed on roller coasters, but this sure felt like one. Wife? Marriage? When did this all happen? Why was Sayaka now calling her by such titles? She could feel her heart start beating rapidly in her chest as her mind started going through different scenarios as she imagined herself as Sayaka's devoted wife-Nonono, don't. Sayaka is just joking around, she doesn't mean it, it's just friendly playful joking.
Too lost in her thoughts over this, Homura tuned out the rest of the conversation. Acutely aware that Sayaka still hand her arm around her, her mind was rushing between indulging in little innocent fantasies to quickly shooting them down with logic. She never even noticed the bell ringing telling them lunch was almost over until Sayaka was waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention.
"Sheesh, way to space out there, Homura. Is it just me or are you getting better at that?" Sayaka teased, patting her on the head and helping the girl stand up before tugging her to follow as the group made their way off the roof. "Come on, we gotta head to class, you don't wanna be late, do you?" Her grin grew as Homura just shook her head quietly, trying to kill the blush that was still burning on her cheeks.
But when Sayaka laughed and told her to stop being cute, the burning only increased as did the the racing of her heart.
Just as the morning classes had, the rest of the day went by annoyingly slowly. There were a few moments where time seemed to stop, but at least it was just boring, not hard. As usual, Homura and Sayaka were getting ready to walk back home together. Their bags were over their shoulders and they were in the stream of students that were leaving the building.
"So, where should we go first? The mall as usual? Or maybe head back to your place to do some studying?" Sayaka asked. Both were good ideas. The mall was always a fun place to go to relax and have fun, but both girls needed to catch up on their schoolwork if they were going to have a chance to graduate this school year on time.
But before a decision could be made, the familiar white creature that Sayaka was still angry at chose to show up behind them. "Neither would be wise right now. A witch has appeared," Kyubey said, butting into the conversation.
He ignored the glare Sayaka sent him as she took out her soul gem, and sure enough, she could feel the tug, the familiar sensation. "Well...you're not lying." She sighed and turned to Homura. "You head home, I'll meet with you when this is done."
She expected Homura to say "okay" and head on to her place. She needed her to say that.
"No," Homura said instead, shaking her head and clutching her bag, "I'm...I'm going with you." Her voice shook at first but she had steadied it by the end.
Sayaka just stared at her a good few moments in amazement and confusion. What had she just said? She's coming with? "Absolutely not!" Sayaka yelled, louder than she meant to but the point had been made. "You're not coming with me, Homura. It's too dangerous, you saw what it's like in those labyrinths!"
"That's why I'm coming with!" Homura shot back, standing her ground firmly. "You're the only magical girl in the city, and these witches are dangerous. If there's any way I can help, I'm going to do it!" She had this odd fire in her eyes when she said that, a determination that Sayaka couldn't say she'd seen in her before...and she wasn't sure if it made her feel encouraged or worried.
Thankfully no one seemed to pay much mind to either of them as the students walked past them. No strange looks, no nothing.
"But-" Sayaka began, though it was clear nothing she said would change Homura's mind. Now Sayaka was stuck between two hard choices: upset Homura by refusing to let her help like she so badly wanted to do and let her worry the entire time, or let Homura come where her life could be in danger which itself was a choice that Sayaka despised. Make Homura happy or keep Homura safe; both were important.
With both sets of eyes on her, Sayaka gave a frustrated sound of defeat.
"Fine! You can come!" she shouted, but Homura instead of flinching gave this wide smile that made Sayaka feel a little better about her decision. "Not unarmed though," she added quickly. Like Hell she was going to let Homura go in with her without something to defend herself with. Shouldn't even need to defend herself.
But Homura just nodded in understanding, and there was a trace of nervousness on her face. Even she understood that going in without a weapon would be foolish.
"Look, just...just stay here, I'll be right back," Sayaka told her, hurrying back into the building and pushing past a few students leaving.
Her mind was running down a list of what she could give to Homura to protect her. A gun- no, Homura would never use a gun, and she wouldn't find one in the school building. Something from the gym equipment closet would be best. A bat or something, just something that could hit hard.
Upon reaching the closet, Sayaka pulled the doors open and flicked on the lights. Thank God that the faculty leaves the closet unlocked during school hours for club meetings and solo practicing. There were many options here and there. Several bags of sports gear, balls, a few rackets and baseball bats here and there. Sayaka even spotted the very same bat she'd taken when she rescued Homura from the bullies months ago...she grinned a little at the thought of Homura taking a turn putting it through its paces before shaking her head
"Not this...no...no..." she muttered to herself as she pushed and arranged the items within, trying to find the perfect weapon for Homura. Did it even matter what she gave the girl though? No, it did matter, whatever she gave Homura had to be perfect. The perfect weapon for defense.
After pushing away a large pommel horse, Sayaka stared at the bag before her, and a smile started to form.
"Hello there," she said, reaching towards it. It was safe to say that she had found the perfect weapon for her beloved friend.
After grabbing the weapon and running down the halls to return to Homura, ignoring the strange looks a few students gave her at seeing her in such a hurry with what she was holding. When she'd reached outside where Kyubey and Homura were waiting exactly where she'd left them, Sayaka presented the item she'd carried with her.
"Here you go, this ought to be enough to keep you safe," she said, watching as Homura took it from her.
There was a pause as Homura stared and analyzed her "weapon," confusion in her eyes as she looked up at Sayaka. "It's just a golf club."
Sayaka just smiled, took her hand in hers and started walking. "Yes it is, and now you can bash in the heads of any familiar that tries to get you," she said with a confident nod, clearly exaggerating how much damage a simple golf club was going to do to a familiar.
Thankfully, Homura offered no argument as she walked with Sayaka. Despite the danger a witch being present held, the girl was in no real rush. She was more than happy to just walk at a casual pace, and holding Homura's hand in her own did help to keep her from racing off into the danger, not to mention the longer Homura was away from danger, the better.
Kyubey was following behind them as always, watching but not saying anything as Sayaka led the way, soul gem in her free hand guiding them to where they needed to go. Despite how much she hated having to let Homura come along, there was a side of her that was excited for the chance to show off to Homura. To amaze her with her fighting skills, to show her how much of a hero she could be by protecting her. Maybe that was why she'd reluctantly agreed to this; she hadn't changed quite as much as she thought.
"You can back out whenever you want, Homura. You don't have to come if you're scared," Sayaka said as they drew closer to the target, making sure to remind Homura every chance she got that there was no requirement that the meek girl come along and put herself in danger.
But Homura shook her head stubbornly, her grip on both Sayaka's hand and the golf club tightening in nervous and fearful energy.
So determined, how cute.
"Just make sure to do as I say then, got it?" Sayaka asked, no, ordered, which received an obedient nod. Hopefully she would keep that promise when things started to get exciting.
Then, they were there.
The labyrinth was all washed out shades of gray, withered and dead trees littered around the place. It looked as though everything was dead inside this place but the three who had just entered.
What luck; it was the same witch from the previous night, and the bird familiars didn't seem happy to see Sayaka at all. The witch must have remembered her. That would make this fun; Sayaka wanted to finish her own job, too.
"Kyubey, stick with Homura," Sayaka ordered as she took another step forward; she didn't need them separate and have to focus on protecting both. As he began trotting closer to Homura, Sayaka mentally added to him, And don't talk to Homura about contracting to lend me a hand. She had a feeling that if Kyubey felt things were falling out of favor in the fight, then he would offer Homura, poor, sweet, well-intentioned Homura, a chance to help Sayaka.
It was completely unnecessary; Sayaka had this under control.
The first few familiars came flying their way, but a few swords thrown and the birds were falling to the ground dead, more wounds to their rotten forms. Loud caws filled the air and more came hurtling after their fallen brethren but soon suffered the same fate.
"Come on!" Sayaka yelled to the others as she began running. They needed to get to the heart of the labyrinth to find the witch.
There were more familiars the deeper they got, but Sayaka was too fast and too focused for them. She was determined not to let a single one of them live, not after last night. Not after what they tried to do.
The deeper they got, the darker things got, not just in lighting. There were trails of blood on the ground now, bones scattered around...human bones. Sayaka had a feeling they weren't just conjured up as decorations, either.
She could hear Homura whimper as they walked, nearly tripping over a bone, and Sayaka wanted so badly to step back and grab her hand, to lead her out of this patch of Hell. But no, she had a job to do, and Homura wouldn't let her just back out of this for her sake.
"Just a little farther, come on," Sayaka told her, and she was right. Just a few more feet and they had come across a wide open space. In the middle...there she was. The witch.
Rotten black wings sprouted from her back, long oily black hair that put Homura's to shame in terms of length covered her face. She looked like a monstrously ugly fusion between a woman and a bird. Somewhere in the back of Sayaka's mind, she remembered the term "harpy" from mythology. Yeah, the Harpy Witch, that would be a good description of this one, and it sure was hideous enough to fit the label.
She had held out her arm to stop Homura from moving any farther forward. That golf driver wasn't going to do much to protect her from here on out, not that Sayaka gave her a chance to swing it around in the first place.
"Stay here, where you're safe. I'll take care of the witch," she said, pushing Homura into a small crevice made by a dense clump of trees. It would work well enough as a shield for her, the familiars far too big to reach her within. As she moved to leave, Homura reached out to her, earning a smile from the magical girl. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
Homura just pulled her hand back, grip tightened on the golf club. "Be...be careful, please."
But Sayaka was already running to the witch at full speed, smile still on as she knew she had an audience this time.
To make it even better, Sayaka had a bone to pick with this witch in particular. After all, it had tried to hurt Homura, and that was something Sayaka couldn't forgive. Not that she would forgive it of its crimes to begin with. It was a witch, after all. A monster.
The wings on the witch, full of gnarled and rotting black feathers like its familiars, rose and in one movement arched downwards as if pointing at her. A flurry of feathers, sharp as knives, launched towards Sayaka. But she didn't slow down, not as the feathers sliced through skin and clothing, not as they dug deep into her skin before coming out the other side. She just kept running, blue transparent runes hovering over her skin as the injuries began healing.
It wasn't as though Sayaka felt the pain they were intended to inflict.
A few more bounds and Sayaka jumped high to reach the Harpy Witch's perch. Her cutlass came down in a smooth arc and sliced through the monster's shoulder. Black began seeping and splattering as the witch struggled under her blade.
She liked it when she found the ones that bled.
Another rain of feathers came, and this close, Sayaka was being pushed high into the air along with them as the bullet-like objects cut and pierced her body, causing a sprinkle of blood over the witch.
Homura cried out in fear in the distance, and Sayaka felt a smile on her face as she began falling.
Sword held firm, she brought it down right onto the witch, slicing into one of those rotten wings. The shriek of pain was music to her ears, a sweet symphony to the roaring drums of adrenaline in her heart as she lifted up her sword and brought it back down and this time she cleaved the wing off completely.
Hands with talons in place of nails came up at her, clawing at her skin. A deep gnash was made across Sayaka's face, but the pain and blood was ignored as she brought her sword up again and thrust it down, repeating the process over and over again as she hacked at the witch. This was brutal, her attacks vicious and merciless. She'd never fought a witch like this, she'd never just gone out of control. But this witch had crossed a line it shouldn't have.
It had tried to kill Homura, tried to hurt her. This witch had tried to take away Sayaka's best friend from her, from the whole world. It was something Sayaka could not forgive, and punishment for that sin was this violent death.
Sayaka wasn't even aware of her own soft laughter, or knew what she was muttering to this witch as the desperate grip on her was loosened.
Her sword was now drenched in blood, the witch below her barely recognizable; at least Sayaka found her more pleasant to look at now than before she attacked. But, oh would you look at that, there was still a spark of life to this monster's eyes. Sayaka would have to fix that, and fix it she did. Sword at the Harpy Witch's neck, a little bit of pressure, and the tip was now hard against the ground under the witch's body which was fast dissolving.
Only then did the laughter die down.
The labyrinth quickly began shifting and dissolving around them, leaving the three back in the normal world as the resulting grief seed clinked on the ground. Though still cut up, Sayaka didn't feel any pain, and her magic went to quick work healing her back up, though the blood remained.
"Congratulations," Kyubey said as he walked from where Homura stood. "It was quite interesting seeing you defeat the witch in such a new manner," he continued, looking up at the bloodied girl.
"Yeah, well, glad you thought it was interesting," Sayaka said with a grin, though something didn't settle right with her in how he called it interesting.
Kyubey continued to stare up at her with unblinking eyes for a few more moments before turning around and walking away. "I will take my leave now, I have some business I need to attend to. I wish you a good night, Miki Sayaka, Akemi Homura," and with that he was gone, as though he morphed into the shadows.
Shrugging his departure and words off, Sayaka swiped and pocketed the grief seed. As she turned to look at Homura, she opened her mouth to ask if she was ready to leave, but the fearful look on the innocent face that stared right at Sayaka had silenced the question before it was asked.
"Homura, what's wrong?" Sayaka asked, quickly making her way towards her, watching the golf club shake in her hands. She knew this was a bad idea, she shouldn't have brought her here, she should have said no despite how insistent Homura was. It was clearly too much for Homura and now she was scared, or wait, had she gotten hurt? Had she gotten hit by one of the feathers and Sayaka not noticed? Stupid, she should have paid closer attention to her. This labyrinth was too awful a place for her- why was Homura backing away from her?
"Homura...?"
The look on the dark haired girl's face told her she wasn't afraid of what happened in the labyrinth; she was looking in fear at Sayaka.
Sayaka took another step, and Homura mirrored it with another step back. "Homura, what's wrong? It's me, Sayaka, I'm nothing to be scared of," she said, trying again only to get the same results.
Golf club still secured tightly in shaking hands, Homura could only stare at her friend in fright, eyes focused specifically on the bright red of blood that stained the white fabric and ran down Sayaka's skin. Not just her own but the blood of the witch that had been newly colorized was heavily mixed in. "You...w-what you did in there," she said shakily. What she saw in there, that couldn't have been Sayaka, the brutality when fighting, no,slaughtering the familiars and the witch, the bloodlust that even Homura could see from her hiding spot.
It scared her.
This was...this was something new to both of them. Sayaka could not remember a moment since knowing Homura where she had such a fearful look to her, not even when they first met and she had almost been scared of everyone. For her part, Homura remembered Sayaka as the one who got her through scary times, not the cause of them. What they had found themselves in, it was frightening.
"I killed a witch," Sayaka offered, hands out in a desire for peace, not understanding why Homura was so scared. She killed a monster, she kept Homura safe! Why was she scared of her now? Why?
"Y-Yes but...you...it looked l-like you w-were..." You looked like a monster, was what Homura wanted to say, but was unable to form the words. Unable to hurt Sayaka by saying something like that, despite how scared she may be right now of the person she saw fighting. "It didn't l-look like...you, you went o-overboard."
Overboard?
It felt as though a string within Sayaka had been pulled taut with the threat of snapping looming in the air.
Sayaka didn't know what to say or what to think. It hurt seeing Homura so scared of her when all she was doing was protecting her, and now she thought Sayaka went overboard? Sayaka killed the witch that tried to kill her, she killed the monster that tried to kill Homura! There was no way she could go overboard! That monstrosity deserved every ounce of pain it got for even trying to lay a finger on Homura, it deserved all the pain and more even!
No, she didn't go overboard, there was no overboard, she should have done more to make it suffer!
Didn't Homura understand how important she was to Sayaka? How much her safety and happiness meant to her?
No, Sayaka would do that to any witch or familiar that tried to harm her- no, not just them, but she would hunt anyone who hurt her Homura and make them pay! If someone tried to make Homura suffer, they had no right to live!
Her grip on her cutlass tightened, and her anger was rising. But there was a new look of terror that she saw and- oh God, that was it, Homura thought she was going to hurt her.
The magical girl costume dissolved, changing back into her borrowed school uniform. It seemed to help Homura relax as there was now considerably less blood on her, and Sayaka was able to take a few steps closer before she backed up again.
"Homura- I'm sorry, I, it tried to kill you!" she claimed in attempt to defend her actions. "It deserved it, it tried to kill you, Homura, I couldn't give it a quick end- I had to make it suffer." Her words were not enough justification to calm Homura's fears, but she tried. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to keep you safe from it."
She was able to get another step forward, and another, and soon her hands were on Homura. Both resting on her cheeks as she looked down at her, so happy that she was able to touch Homura again.
"Can you forgive me for upsetting you?" Sayaka asked, giving her most hopeful, pleading voice.
Homura looked down at the ground, unable to meet Sayaka's eyes. "I...is it always like this?" she asked, still not looking up at her. "I...I mean do you...are you always so...merciless? When fighting witches?" When Sayaka began stumbling for an answer of "Yes- no! Sometimes?" Homura sighed, "Sayaka...I..."
She stepped away from Sayaka, out of her arms, and away from her.
"Homura- wait, where are you going?"
She paused in her stride. "I'm...I'm going home- it's late and...I d-don't know, this was...this was a lot...I...I'll talk to you tomorrow..." And like Kyubey, she was soon gone after turning the corner.
Sayaka just stood there as time ticked on. But, with Homura no longer around, Sayaka felt her anger pool over.
"Damn it!" she shouted, transforming into her magical girl outfit once again. She'd fucked up, she fucked up! She shouldn't have let Homura come, she should have known Homura wouldn't like seeing how Sayaka took care of that witch.
It wasn't like she treated every witch like that! That one was a special case, that one had been the one that tried to kill Homura the previous night!
She began running, in search of something - anything - to vent her anger on.
"They're just stupid witches! Why care about how bloody the fight gets? It's not like they deserve any mercy!" she yelled to herself, to the sky, and to no one at the same time. Her grip on the cutlass tightened as it formed in her hand, and her pace increased.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Homura hates her now.
Homura is scared of her now.
She's going to lose Homura.
"Damn it!"
Her mind was so internally focused on her own anger, on her own frustration, that she didn't see metal coming right for her until a chain hit her right in the head, knocking her on her back.
"Jeez, ya shoulda seen that coming a mile away."
Sitting up and rubbing her face, Sayaka watched as the chains retracted upon themselves, changing into a spear, no a lance - did it matter?- which soon had a red-haired girl perched upon it. Wait, she'd seen this girl before, hadn't she? Somewhere? It felt like she had. Whoever she was, it was obvious she was a magical girl as well. Great, could this night get any better?
"What do you want?" Sayaka spat, standing back up. She wasn't in the mood for whatever this girl wanted to do, and the sooner she left her alone the better.
The mystery girl began chewing on some kind of snack, pausing to swallow before answering. "Still as wound up now as you were then. What's got your panties in such a twist?" she asked, she mocked, smirking down at Sayaka. "I'm just here to give you an in-person warning. This is my territory now. I'm giving you a chance to get out of the city with your life."
Leave this city? This stranger wanted her to leave this city just because it apparently wasn't big enough for both, not that Sayaka really wanted to work near this girl whose greeting was a blow to the head. But leaving would mean dropping out of school, leaving her family, leaving Homura.
Whether Homura and her had left on bad terms just now or not, Sayaka wasn't going to step back and leave her unprotected just because this self-important pig wanted the city!
Her eyes narrowed, and her cutlass was raised. No, this was just what she needed, she needed to vent her frustration out on something. What better than to hack this redhead up into pieces? Doubt anyone would find the body. After all, wasn't cutting someone else up a better way to vent than cutting up yourself?
"Oh? You wanna fight?" the other girl asked when she saw Sayaka take her stance. She stepped off her lance and onto the ground, prying the weapon up as she twirled it into her own stance. "You're gonna regret that choice, rookie."
Homura was glad her house hadn't been that far from where the labyrinth had lain. She made it home before too long and wound up leaning against the door before sliding to the floor.
"That was...Sayaka...?" she said, drawing her knees in close to her and resting her head on them. Regret was already overflowing in her, regret for what she said, for how she acted. She'd been scared of how violent Sayaka had been, how ruthless her attacks had been...it was clear Sayaka had been enjoying every cut she put on the witch, she was even laughing! If Homura hadn't been so scared, she thought she would've thrown up. But Homura shouldn't have acted like that. She was still the Sayaka that she knew and loved, wasn't she?
Wrapping her arms around her head as she curled tighter upon herself, Homura let out a low noise of frustration and confusion.
She'd just been, it was a witch, Sayaka said so herself it didn't deserve mercy. After all, these monsters lured the innocent into their lairs and killed them. Who knew how many lives were lost to just that one; Homura's had almost been lost to it as well.
Sayaka had said...the witch had been the one that tried to get Homura yesterday, and that was why Sayaka had been so vicious.
"Just to defend me, or avenge me..." she said, relaxing slightly. It felt nice, now that she thought about it, that Sayaka would react so harshly to something that tried to kill Homura. She was just trying to keep Homura safe, even if the methods were shocking.
With an exhale, Homura made her decision. She would get used to this side of Sayaka, she just needed time to adjust. Sayaka had been right after all: they were awful creatures that deserved the pain they got for all the pain they caused to others. Monsters that had no place in the world, things that could only lash out at the good people in the world, why should they deserve mercy? She just hoped that Sayaka was still in enough control of herself to focus all that anger on nothing but witches and familiars.
Sitting up and petting Ganko, who had sneaked up on her when her brain was still settling down, Homura let out a sigh. "I'll...I'll apologize to her when I see her tomorrow. I...I don't want to end on b-bad terms with her...I don't want to lose her."
Losing Sayaka...it was one of Homura's biggest fears. Losing her best friend, her first love, just losing Sayaka...Homura couldn't imagine a life without her. She didn't know what she would do if they stopped being friends, especially over something like that.
She felt Ganko tense under her hand, and looked down at her in confusion as the kitten began hissing at the shadows.
"Ganko...?" Homura asked, as though the cat could tell her why she was angry.
Her answer came as Kyubey stepped out of the shadow behind the couch and made his way towards her, and after a few seconds of standing there hissing, Ganko darted off to hide like always.
"Kyubey, what are you doing here?" Homura asked, staring at him. Didn't he have things to do? If he was already finished with them than he should be with Sayaka, not here, right? Had something happened?
The white-furred cat-rabbit-squirrel took a few more hurried steps, a bit of urgency in his otherwise emotionless voice as he spoke, "Miki Sayaka's in trouble," and Homura could feel a sudden heavy and cold feeling overcome her. She hadn't even needed to ask before Kyubey began explaining what happened, "She's fighting another magical girl, one who's stronger. You've got to help her."
Homura had the door open and was running out without any other prompt, and Kyubey took off in front of her, leading her to where the two must have been.
But right now her head was full of questions. Another magical girl? Why would Sayaka and this other girl be fighting? Shouldn't they work together? It didn't make any sense and she asked Kyubey just as much through her panting.
"Magical girls can be territorial, and intruding on another's territory isn't well looked upon. This one came into Miki Sayaka's hunting grounds - the entire city - with the intent to take it as her own. Sayaka's only choices are to leave this city or to fight. Though it would be easier to just leave and find another territory, she seems far too attached to you specifically to risk leaving," he said, not breaking his stride as he cut through an alley.
Taking that all in, Homura almost stopped moving when he said how attached Sayaka was to her. It took a few quick shakes of her head to snap her back into focus. No, he didn't mean it in the way she would wish he did.
Already they had passed by where the labyrinth had been, and they showed no sign of slowing down.
Homura was starting to feel out of breath, but she kept moving despite her legs not wanting too. She wasn't in the physical shape needed to run as far as the two had, but she wasn't going to stop. She could hear the clang of metal on metal and the cries of anger and mockery. It was soft but she could hear it, they were getting closer.
A wave of nausea rushed through her, along with a sudden lightheaded feeling that made Homura almost stumble.
Ba-dum...
The noise was clearer now, one last turn and both Kyubey and Homura were standing in front of the battle. Though, it was less of a battle and more of a one-sided beating, and it was going as poorly for Sayaka as Homura feared.
She was being flung back and forth by the spear, broken into pieces connected by a chain. It looked as though any attack Sayaka tried was brushed off by the other girl who would then simply knock Sayaka into another wall.
Sayaka was covered in blood again, just like when she was fighting the witch, only this time it was her own. Her clothes were tattered from the numerous wounds inflicted on her, and the other magical girl didn't have a scratch on her. Kyubey hadn't been mistaken when he said Sayaka was in trouble; it was clear she stood no chance against this girl.
Wait...Homura knew this girl...she'd met her before, spoken with her before-
"Sakura-san?"
Kyouko's head quickly turned to look at her in surprise, Sayaka too when she heard Homura's voice. The battle seemed to stop with both weapons pressed against each other as they stared at Homura.
After a moment, recognition flared up in Kyouko's eyes. "What a surprise, wasn't expecting to run into you like this," she said, pulling back her spear and stepping away from Sayaka. "What? Are you a magical girl too? Kyubey only said there was one in this city, never mentioned contracting another girl after Blueberry here."
"She's not a magical girl, and she's not going to be!" Sayaka shouted, still clearly angry with how bad the battle had been for her, and quickly whirled on Homura. "What the Hell are you doing here?" she shouted, storming up to her while keeping herself between Kyouko and Homura. "We're in the middle of a fight- you could have gotten hurt jumping into the middle of it like that! Weren't you thinking at all?"
But Homura could only smile. Sayaka was okay, and that made Homura not care that she was being yelled at. "Kyubey said you were in danger, I came to try and help you," she explained and quickly hugged the taller girl. She had to apologize now, make things right, forget about Kyouko being there, forget about the battle the two had been waging a minute ago. Sayaka was okay, and Homura could have lost her had she not come. "I'm...I'm sorry I got upset with you earlier, I s-shouldn't have. I understand it now. You were just trying to keep everyone safe, I shouldn't be upset with how you do it."
Sayaka had stiffened under her hug, and there was hesitance before she hugged her back.
"Are you still mad at me?"
"I wasn't mad at you to begin with, I was just, I was surprised a-and confused."
She heard Sayaka make a choked noise of relief and hug her tighter, cape wrapping around Homura almost protectively.
From the sidelines, Kyouko snorted. "Jesus...get a room you two. I didn't come here to watch tween drama romance stuff," she muttered, though her words were ignored by both as Kyubey walked over to stand by her.
Homura was relieved, it had been far easier and quicker than she imagined to apologize to Sayaka. It was good that they could get over something that upset them both so quickly. She felt content in this hug, safe in Sayaka's arms.
"Now that you've gotten that off your chest," Kyouko spoke up again, "you gonna keep fighting or you gonna run?"
Ba-dum...
It was only then that her brain fully noticed how out of breath she still was. A quick wince followed as she felt an uncomfortable tightening in her chest. What was-
Ba-dum...
"Homura? Are you okay?" Sayaka asked, pulling away slightly to look at her worriedly.
Even Kyouko had taken a few steps towards her, either curious or concerned. "Yeah, what's your deal now?"
Ba-dum, ba-dum...
Homura took a sharp breath in as hot pain began flaring up in her arm, racing up her back and setting home in her jaw. Cold sweat began running down her skin as the pain in her chest began growing in intensity.
What was going on? Why was this happening? This shouldn't be happening! She was fixed, she was cured!
Ba-dum! Ba-dum!
Her knees buckled and Sayaka was now yelling at her, but her voice sounded like nothing but garbled nonsense. Homura couldn't even make out her facial details, it was all a blur of colors.
Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba-dum!
Her senses were all locked onto the pain and nothing else. The world was going dark, her heart felt like it was tearing itself apart in her chest, the agony so unbearable. She couldn't see or hear Sayaka yelling at her, but she could feel wet drops hit her cheek. Was it raining? No, it wasn't, was someone crying? Her? Sayaka?
Why was this happening to her? Why this again? She was cured, she was supposed to be fixed.
Why?